Youth Whose Mother Was Jailed Convicted

A Los Angeles teen-ager whose mother was once charged with breaking the law by allowing him to join a street gang has been ordered to serve an eight-year sentence for participating in the brutal gang rape of a 12-year-old girl.

The 15-year-old boy, whose name was withheld because of his age, had been convicted in Inglewood Superior Court of involvement in the kidnaping and assault of the girl, who was raped repeatedly by as many as 12 gang members over a four-day period.

Police said that while investigating the rape, they found evidence that the mother, Gloria Williams, knew of her son’s gang affiliation. She was charged under a 1988 anti-gang law that penalizes parents who knowingly fail to supervise or control their children. The misdemeanor charges were dropped after it was learned that she had successfully completed a class in parenting at an alternative school.